Review: Models Own Lip Balm in 'Tangerine'

Review: Models Own Lip Balm in 'Tangerine'

12.2.12

   I'll put it straight out there and say I'm not impressed by this 'lip balm'. On a trip to Boots a couple of months ago to pick up some skin care products and nipped by the cosmetics area before heading to the till (dangerous move!). As always, the Models Own range stood out to me - the brightly coloured products against the white background are irresistible! I've used their nail varnishes before and thought the quality was excellent and the range of colours impressive. I had never tried any of their other products though, until trying this lip balm.

   The packaging of the product is cute and simple - easy to pop in your bag. It appears well pigmented and quite creamy, yet quite firm for a balm in it's little glass pot. For some reason (really don't know why, as this product is still stocked) many of the Models Own products had been marked down in the Boots by about 25% - I got the balm for £3 when it's usually £5. As I had heard good things about the balms from other reviews it was hard to resist this deal!

    I'm not sure why I chose this shade in all honesty. I guess it's different to any other lipsticks / balms that I own already as I tend to go for pinker or just plain red shades. It's not the colour which was an issue for me though, it was the fact this this was called a 'balm'.

Applied relatively lightly to the lips

  'Tangerine' seems slightly glossy at first on my lips - but it dries out quickly, becoming less creamy and more sticky (especially after gong outdoors - it dries out within minutes). I expect a 'balm' to provide more hydration. It looks glossy, but after a couple of minutes my lips feel quenched of moisture! Upon applying the balm the thick / tough consistency drags a little until it melts... this also doesn't seem very balm-like to me! 

   Don't get me wrong, I don't think it looks bad on at all, in fact, I do like the (initial) finish and colour it gives. It just doesn't provide a balm-like result - for me at least. I've seen other reviews recommending this product before, although they weren't reviews of this shade - so I wonder if the formula for this shade is less balm-like than the others?

Left - Heavily swatched    Right - Blended swatch: you can see here how it starts to dry out and gives an almost matte finish

   As a 'balm' I don't expect much pigmentation, but I was surprised by the significant wash of colour the balm gave using just a small amount - although I like the colour, I think this may be where the products falters. Perhaps the pigmentation of this shade comes at the expense of it being moisturising... I don't have unusually dry lips so I wonder if anyone else feels the same way?

   I wasn't purchasing the balm for the finish or feel it has proven to actually have, so I'm not impressed by it. I only wear this balm with lashings of Vaseline - which seems a little pointless to apply a balm to a balm! I'm a little put off of exploring their other balms because of this experience!